Antifriction-bearing.



c.- A. LATHAM. ANTIFRIGTION BEARING. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1906.

93$;g51 Patented'0t.26,1909.

CHESTER A. LATHAM, OF WICHITA, KANSAS.

ANTIFRIGTION-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Batent. Patented Oct 26, 1909,

Application filed March 22, 1905. Serial No. 251,478.

wick, in the State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antifrietion-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention. relates to improvements in roller bearings and has for its object to provide an anti-friction bearing in which the contiguous surfaces of the several members or elements eomprisingthe'bearing have a reduced contact portion, thus reducing the friction.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description and to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation with the parts assembled. Fig. 2 is an end view with one of the caps or collars removed, and with the shaft or journal shown in section, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the boxing.

Making renewed reference to the drawing, wherein like characters of notation indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 designates the journal which may be formed with shoulders 1 by reducing'the ends thereof, thus providing an intermediate, enlarged portion of the same length as the boxing and rollers with which it is associated. The periphery of this intermediate portion of the ournal is provided with a series of intersecting spiral grooves l that provide spaced contact surfaces 22 which, by virtue of the spiral arrangement of the grooves, are necessarily of diamond or rectangular shape, as shown.

The oxing or casing 3 has on its inner surface a pluralit of intersecting spiral grooves 3 which 'orm spaced contact surfaces 4 of a shape similar to the contact surfaces 2 of the journal. v

Interposed between the boxing and the journal are a series of rollers 5, the periphery of each of which is provided with intersecting spiral grooves 5 which form spaced con- ,act surfaces 6 that are adapted to engage with the contact surfaces 2 and 4 of the journal and boxing respectively. The rollers may be held in spaced relation by any suitable means, but I prefer to have them loose with respect to each other, and rotate freely between the journal and boxing. The pitch of the grooves on the different members may vary, so that the raised contact surfaces of one member maybe of greater area than those of another; but the arrangement is such that a portion of a contact surface on one member, as for instance the rollers, will engage a portion of the contact surface of another member, as forinstance the journal, or the box: ing, and thereby reduce the friction to a minimum.

Any suitable thrustbearing may be employed, but I prefer to mount collars 6 upon the shaft of the journal, and these collars preferably fit against the shoulders 1 of the journal and close the end of the boxing.

They may be secured by suitable set screws 7 as shown in Fig. 1. The improved raisedcontact-surfac'e-boxing may be used with the ordinary journal and roller; or the improved raised-contact-surface-rollers may be used with the ordinary journal and boxing, or the improved raised-contact-surface-j ournal may be used with the ordinary'boxing and roller, and in fact any of the ordinary types of boxing or rollers or journal may be substituted for my improved form, so as to produce a number of combinations, allresult-ing in a reduction of friction.

It will be noted that the axle, the boxing, and each roller are provided each with reversely arranged intersecting spiral grooves providing. alining sets of contact surfaces With-each set of the alining contact surfaces of each of the aforesaid elements being spaced from the adjacent alining sets of contact surfaces of the corresponding elements.

It will also be noted that the contact surfaces Y of each set of contact surfaces on each of the aforesaid elements are spaced from one another. The result of providing these elements, to wit, the axle, boxing, and each roller with spiral alining sets of contact surfaces, is that friction is reduced to a minimum, and the lubricant is eflicien-tly distributed throughout the surfaces of the various elements so thatthe movable elements may rotate freely" about the axle. The contact surfaces are relatively small to further reduce friction, and the contact surfaces of the various elements overlap in the operation of the bearing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is j v 1 In a roller bearing,.an axle having a cylindrical shaped enlargement provided faces, an

with reversely' arran ed intersecting spiral grooves providing'afining sets of contact surfaces, each set of'alining contact surfaces being spaced from and independent ofethe ad'acent alining sets of contact surthe contact surfaces of each set being spaced and independent ofone another; a boxing having its inner face provided with intersecting spiral grooves providin alining sets of contact surfaces, each set. of alinin contact surfaces of the boxing beings ace and independent of the adjacent a ining sets of contact surfaces of the boxing, and the contact surfaces of each set of contact surfaces of the boxing being spaced and independent of one another; and rollers disposed between the boxing and axle, each roller having intersectin spiral grooves providing alining sets 0 contact surfaces, each set of alining contact surfaces of each roller being spaced from and independent of the adjacent alining sets of contact surfaces of the corresponding roller, the contact surfaces of each set on each roller being spaced and independent of one another. a

2. In a roller bearin an axle havin a cylindrical shaped en arge nent provided with reversely arran ed intersecting spiral grooves providing a ining sets of contact surfaces, each set of alining contact surfaces being spaced fromand independent of the adjacent alinin sets of contact surfaces, and the contact sur aces of each set being spaced and independent of one another; a boxing having its inner face provided with interv secting spiral grooves providing alining sets tact surfaces of t of contact sur aces each set of alining conhe boxing being spaced and independent of the adjacent alining sets of contact surfaces of the boxing, and the ing contact surfaces being spaced from the adjacent alining sets of contactsurfaces, the contact surfaces of each set being spaced from one another; a boxing having its inner face provided with intersectin spiral grooves providing alining sets of contact surfaces, each set of alining contact surfaces of the boxing being spaced from the adjacent alining sets of contact surfaces, the contact surfaces of each set of the boxing being spaced from one another; rollers disposed between the boxing and axle and each provided with reversely arranged' intersectmg spiral grooves providing alining sets of contact surfaces, each set of alining contact surfaces on each roller being spaced from the adjacent alining sets of contact surfaces of the corresponding roller, the contact surfaces of each set on each roller being spaced from one another-,5 and collars dis- .posed at the ends of the boxing and against the adjacent shoulders to prevent longitudinal displacement of the rollers.

CHESTER A. LATHAM.

Witnesses OHAs: D. FAZEL,

W. M. BARRINGER. 

